16) Dr. Sinclair Holden Glasgow: Elected mayor for the Town of Welland in 1895 & 1896

Vital statistics

Birth: March 30, 1855 at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Death: March 13, 1909 at Welland, Ontario, Canada (age 53)

Burial place: Fairview Cemetery (Find a Grave )

Parents: William / Mary Elizabeth (née Lundy)

Spouse: Nancy Catherine (née Fortner)

Children: None

Occupation: Doctor / Surgeon

Religion: Presbyterian

Political affiliation: Liberal

Community affiliations: President of Ontario Medical Council / Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Dragoons / High School Board / Crowland Medical Health Officer / Jail surgeon / Assistant surgeon of the 44th Regiment / Division surgeon of the Grand Trunk and Wabash railways / Sons of Scotland / Order Canadian Home Circles / Canadian Order of Chosen Friends / Ancient Order of United Workmen / Member of the Masons / Welland Young Men’s Liberal Club

Profile

Sinclair Holden Glasgow was born March 30, 1855 near Niagara Falls, Ontario (Stamford) to William and Mary Elizabeth (née Lundy) Glasgow. His mother Mary was the granddaughter of William Lundy, from whom Lundy’s Lane was named. His paternal grandfather was the Rev. Samuel Glasgow of Scotland, who later moved to Ireland and then Canada, settling in Stamford. It is claimed that the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, took its name from the ancestors of this family.

In the 1860s and early 1870s Sinclair was educated at an old school house on Lundy’s Lane, and then attended the Drummondville grammar school, graduating with a teacher’s certificate. He was a teacher for the next two years. He became interested in medicine and so took a four-year course at the Toronto School of Medicine, graduating as an M. B. from Toronto University in 1878. That year he also became an M. D. at Victoria University with a license to practice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ontario. In 1878 he chose Welland to practice his profession, likely due to its proximity to his familial roots in Stamford, and perhaps he detected a particular need for a doctor and surgeon in Welland.

Also worth noting is his efforts in the military, as he had taken an interest in militia affairs since he was a young boy. While studying in Toronto he joined the Queen’s Own and served as Lieutenant. After he came to Welland he became Assistant Surgeon of the 44th Regiment for eighteen years. In 1901 he organized a new squadron of the 2nd Dragoons at Welland as a Major, then in 1904 he was placed in command. He was credited as being an efficient and popular officer, taking deep interest in the welfare of his men. His funeral in 1909 was said to have been the largest military funeral ever seen in Welland County.

Dr. Glasgow was in every sense a public man which can be easily seen by viewing his community affiliations listed above. He was described as “a man of large acquaintance, and it was an acquaintance extending into all walks of life, all classes and conditions of men. He was a man who made his impress upon those he met.” Politically he “did not hide his light under a bushel, but was a staunch Liberal.” He was continually promoted as a man destined for parliament, but he turned his attention to municipal affairs. He was elected as a councillor in 1891, and it was in 1895 and 1896 that he ran and was elected as mayor.

He did not run for mayor or councillor again, but he remained busy with his community and fraternal organizations and his medical practice. In fact the year before he died he was named President of the Ontario Medical Council. It was March 13, 1909 when he passed away in Welland at the young age of 53, the community being “quite unprepared” for the announcement. He had been quite unwell in the preceding months, and had recently had one of his toes amputated. He did not recover well after the operation, and he eventually went into a diabetic coma which ended his life. Part of his obituary reads: “Doctor Glasgow attained high honor in his profession. He enjoyed an extensive practice and his worth as a practitioner was widely recognized.” He married Nancy Catherine (née Fortner) in 1888, and did not have children. Another interesting biographical note about him was that he was very fond of horses, and took an interest in looking after the grounds of his residence.

The house he lived in in Welland in his later years is now known as the Glasgow-Fortner House at 24 Burgar St. His wife bought the house in 1889 from the Burgar family the year after they wed. The house was eventually designated as a heritage property by the City of Welland in 1985.

Sources

Coombs, Albert Ernest, “The History of the Niagara Peninsula” (1930), 310-312.
“Death Came to Dr. Glasgow.” Welland Telegraph, March 16, 1909.
“Death of Lt.-Col. Glasgow, M. D.” The People’s Press, March 16, 1909.
“Glasgow-Fortner House,” Canada’s Historic Places, https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=15313.
Welland Tribune Printing House, “The History of Welland County” (1887), 559-560.